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After reading this article you will learn about Ecosystem:- 1. Meaning of Ecosystem 2. Classification.
Meaning of Ecosystem:
The ecosystem is the basic functional unit in ecology, since it comprises all the living organisms in an area in interaction with the physical environment.
The term “ecosystem” was coined by the British ecologist A. G. Tansley in 1935, from “eco”, meaning environment, and “system”, meaning a complex of coordinated units.
Classification of Ecosystems:
In 1973, Ellenberg said that the world can be classified into different ecosystems in a hierarchical order:
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I. The Biosphere is largest and all-encompassing ecosystem.
II. ‘Mega-ecosystems, under which come the —
(a) Marine ecosystems, related to saline water environment, such as oceans and seas,
(b) Fresh-water ecosystems, as in rivers and lakes,
(c) Semi-terrestrial ecosystems, related to wet soil and air,
(d) Terrestrial ecosystems, related to aerated soil and air, such as forests, grasslands, deserts,
(e) Urban-industrial ecosystems, that are man-made ecosystems, such as cities, cropland etc.
III. Each mega-ecosystem is further subdivided into-macro, meso and micro ecosystems.
A forest ecosystem is a macro division, a deciduous broad-leaf forest along with its fauna falls within the meso division, while a mountain deciduous broad-leaf forest falls within the micro division.
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IV. Nano-ecosystems are even smaller ecosystems that are specially contained within larger ecosystems but have individual characteristics.
Depending on the level of human interference and the degree of the impact of anthropogenic activities, ecosystems can also be classified into —
(i) Natural Ecosystems, which are self-regulating systems, without much direct interference by humans. They include ecosystems such as forest, grassland, desert, sea, ocean, estuarine, lake, river coral reef etc.
(ii) Artificial Ecosystems or man-engineered ecosystems, such as in cities, irrigated croplands, greenhouses, and, recently, in biotic ecosystems — canopied, air-conditioned, vegetative places where scientists live and grow crops and fruits for 2 or 3 months out of touch of the world. These experiments are conducted for future living in other planets or the man.
As per above table, there are various types of ecosystems in different corners of the world. We have mentioned only fifteen ecosystems here, but micro level analysis will give rise to even more ecosystems. Only a few have been discussed in detail.
